A SCOTTISH distillery known as the “king of the lowlands” is set to open its doors to the public his summer after more than 30 years.
Rosebank Distillery closed three decades ago in 1993 and is back in business following a four-year restoration project.
The new site aims to honour the building’s heritage, with the distillery’s Victorian red brickwork facing the Forth and Clyde canal, whilst a new glass-fronted stillroom is visible from the front.
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Visitors will be able to find exact copies of the original stills replicated in shape using blueprints salvaged from the Rosebank archives.
After being left to lie empty for 24 years, managing director of Ian Macleod Distillers, which also owns Glengoyne, Tamdhu and Edinburgh Gin, was determined to save the distillery.
“I could see that Rosebank Distillery was held in extremely high regard and it was a huge shame that it closed when it was distilling some of the best spirit for the Scotch whisky industry,” he said.
“Being small, Rosebank was one of the more expensive whiskies to produce, but in my view that’s no reason to close a distillery.
“Its reopening will be a very special moment for its hometown of Falkirk, for the Scotch industry and for whisky lovers everywhere.”
The original mill, thought to be around 103 years old, has been retained and continues to be used in the production of the whisky.
A new warehouse has been built from the bricks of its historic counterpart, which now showcases precious casks of the original Rosebank alongside the first casks of the new Rosebank spirit.
The landmark 108ft chimney stack has also been repaired and continues to dominate Falkirk’s skyline.
Today (March 25) also marks the first opportunity to book a visit to the distillery – more information can be found HERE.
Distillery manager Malcolm Rennie commented: “The process of bringing Rosebank Distillery back to life has been meticulous, with a huge amount of detail going into each and every element.
“It was very important that we paid homage to Rosebank’s history and story, and we feel we’ve done it justice by incorporating so much of the former distillery into our new home.
“The whole team at Rosebank are overjoyed to finally share our beautiful new distillery with whisky admirers across the world.
“We’re extremely proud of what we’ve created and can’t wait to open our doors this summer.”
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